vt.mathgirl
Well-known member
This article is from the Burlington Free Press, and elsewhere. Vermont is starting to notice the rest of the world.
August 23, 2009
Vt. schools prepare to fight spread of flu
State might set up clinics to vaccinate students against H1N1
By Molly Walsh, Free Press Staff Writer
Students heading back to school are likely to notice precautions being taken to help reduce the spread of novel influenza H1N1, also known as swine flu.
National and state public health leaders have advised school nurses to wear masks when evaluating children who might have the flu. Principals are being urged to drop perfect attendance contests to discourage sick students or faculty from coming into school and spreading the disease. It?s also possible that in October the Vermont Health Department will set up clinics in schools to inoculate children and teens against H1N1.
Such vaccinations would be optional, said Dr. Wendy Davis, Vermont health commissioner. ?Of course it?s voluntary.?
Most people who come down with H1N1 recover after a few days of fever, coughing and discomfort. But the unique strain of the virus, its rapid spread and the fact that young people under the age of 25 are apparently more vulnerable to H1N1 than older people have raised alarms.
Since April, 7,983 people have been hospitalized in the U.S. with H1N1 and 522 people have died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Vermont Health Department has confirmed 67 cases of swine flu in this state and many more cases have likely occurred, Davis said. There have been three confirmed hospitalizations and no deaths in Vermont.
Most flu threats disappear during the summer but swine flu, while dissipating somewhat, has remained active and forced some summer camps to send children home. The flu spreads when people cough or sneeze and droplets land on other people or on surfaces they touch.
Ground zero for flu
Public schools for most students in Chittenden County re-open Sept. 2; many other school districts across Vermont resume classes this week.
Health experts predict more of the virus this fall and winter than last spring and more school-centered outbreaks. ?National experts are thinking that there will certainly be an increased amount of disease and that schools, because they are a place where many people congregate on a daily basis, are likely to be a situation that?s hard hit by the amount of the disease,? said Davis.
She and Vermont Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca sent a joint letter to school administrators last week outlining precautions. Topping the list are basics such as frequent hand washing, which is one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of the flu. Schools should make it easy and convenient for students to wash hands often. If soap is not available, a hand sanitizer should be used, the recommendations say.
Other suggestions: Cover the nose and mouth when coughing; stay home with flu-like illness until the fever is gone plus at least 24 hours. Schools are being advised to set up a separate space for children who come down with flu-like symptoms at school and are waiting for pick-up.
At least one school in Chittenden County ? Williston Central School ? ended the school year a few days early in June after swine flu was documented there. The letter from Davis and Vilaseca suggested that such closings be undertaken carefully, as they disrupt learning and might have undesired consequences such as students being left at home alone.
Schools that do close in Vermont will be asked to consult with the Health Department first and report the closure so it can be tracked in a national monitoring system designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All of this advice is landing at schools as principals and teachers make all the other preparations for a smooth school opening. John Everitt, superintendent of South Burlington Schools, said communicating recommendations to students, parents and people who work in the schools is his goal. ?The more people understand and are aware of best practice, the more effective we?re going to be.?
He said it was too early to say what specific steps, if any, the schools in his district would take to curb the spread of H1N1. ?We?re going to be very thoughtful and very deliberate in our actions to make sure we keep kids as healthy as we can and as safe as we can on all fronts, not just H1N1.?
Colleges prepare, too
Colleges and universities are also taking precautions to reduce the spread of the new flu. At the University of Vermont, where at least one confirmed case of swine flu was documented in the spring, new and returning students this fall will see many new posters about hand washing and covering up when coughing or sneezing. The freebies at orientation will include hand sanitizers.
The prevention campaign will focus on hygiene and coughing and sneezing etiquette, said Dr. Jon Porter, director of the center for Health and Wellbeing at the University of Vermont.
The campus is likely to see H1N1 cases as early as September, he added. Student and faculty absenteeism could be significantly higher than is typical in most years but plan A is to avoid dramatic steps such as closing a dorm or shutting down classes. ?The approach right now is very much, let?s keep things running,? Porter said.
If the virus turns more serious, officials will consider other options. ?If the situation changes in terms of the seriousness of the illness we?re in a different place,? Porter said. ?We?ll start looking at other measures.?
National safety trials of an H1N1 vaccine are underway. If approved by the federal government, shipments of the vaccine could make it to Vermont in the latter part of October. It is likely to be a two-dose vaccine and will be made available first to groups most at risk, Davis said.
The Health Department is considering school based vaccine clinics partly because pediatricians might not be able to schedule the volume of appointments needed to give two doses in a timely way to the approximately 100,000 school-aged children in Vermont.
Colleges are also likely to be at the front of the line for the vaccine. UVM already does vaccine clinics for seasonal flu and will likely offer H1N1 vaccine clinics if supplies come available, Porter said.
Contact Molly Walsh at 660-1874 or mwalsh@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
Additional Facts
HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST THE FLU
? Get a seasonal flu vaccine.
? Wash your hands often and well.
? Use alcohol-based hand wipes and gel sanitizers if soap and water are not available.
? Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
? Cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away.
? Stay home from work or school, and away from others if you are sick.
? If you are ill or have health concerns, call your health care provider.
H1N1 in Vermont
Confirmed cases of swine flu in Vermont. Counties with ?0? lab-confirmed cases most likely have H1N1 novel influenza circulating. Vermont Department of Health is focusing on testing severe cases.
Addison: 5
Bennington: 6
Caledonia: 0
Chittenden: 25
Essex: 0
Franklin: 3
Grand Isle: 1
Lamoille: 0
Orange: 0
Orleans: 5
Rutland: 9
Washington: 4
Windham: 3
Windsor: 6
Total: 67
Source: Vermont Department of Health
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 23, 2009
Vt. schools prepare to fight spread of flu
State might set up clinics to vaccinate students against H1N1
By Molly Walsh, Free Press Staff Writer
Students heading back to school are likely to notice precautions being taken to help reduce the spread of novel influenza H1N1, also known as swine flu.
National and state public health leaders have advised school nurses to wear masks when evaluating children who might have the flu. Principals are being urged to drop perfect attendance contests to discourage sick students or faculty from coming into school and spreading the disease. It?s also possible that in October the Vermont Health Department will set up clinics in schools to inoculate children and teens against H1N1.
Such vaccinations would be optional, said Dr. Wendy Davis, Vermont health commissioner. ?Of course it?s voluntary.?
Most people who come down with H1N1 recover after a few days of fever, coughing and discomfort. But the unique strain of the virus, its rapid spread and the fact that young people under the age of 25 are apparently more vulnerable to H1N1 than older people have raised alarms.
Since April, 7,983 people have been hospitalized in the U.S. with H1N1 and 522 people have died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Vermont Health Department has confirmed 67 cases of swine flu in this state and many more cases have likely occurred, Davis said. There have been three confirmed hospitalizations and no deaths in Vermont.
Most flu threats disappear during the summer but swine flu, while dissipating somewhat, has remained active and forced some summer camps to send children home. The flu spreads when people cough or sneeze and droplets land on other people or on surfaces they touch.
Ground zero for flu
Public schools for most students in Chittenden County re-open Sept. 2; many other school districts across Vermont resume classes this week.
Health experts predict more of the virus this fall and winter than last spring and more school-centered outbreaks. ?National experts are thinking that there will certainly be an increased amount of disease and that schools, because they are a place where many people congregate on a daily basis, are likely to be a situation that?s hard hit by the amount of the disease,? said Davis.
She and Vermont Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca sent a joint letter to school administrators last week outlining precautions. Topping the list are basics such as frequent hand washing, which is one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of the flu. Schools should make it easy and convenient for students to wash hands often. If soap is not available, a hand sanitizer should be used, the recommendations say.
Other suggestions: Cover the nose and mouth when coughing; stay home with flu-like illness until the fever is gone plus at least 24 hours. Schools are being advised to set up a separate space for children who come down with flu-like symptoms at school and are waiting for pick-up.
At least one school in Chittenden County ? Williston Central School ? ended the school year a few days early in June after swine flu was documented there. The letter from Davis and Vilaseca suggested that such closings be undertaken carefully, as they disrupt learning and might have undesired consequences such as students being left at home alone.
Schools that do close in Vermont will be asked to consult with the Health Department first and report the closure so it can be tracked in a national monitoring system designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All of this advice is landing at schools as principals and teachers make all the other preparations for a smooth school opening. John Everitt, superintendent of South Burlington Schools, said communicating recommendations to students, parents and people who work in the schools is his goal. ?The more people understand and are aware of best practice, the more effective we?re going to be.?
He said it was too early to say what specific steps, if any, the schools in his district would take to curb the spread of H1N1. ?We?re going to be very thoughtful and very deliberate in our actions to make sure we keep kids as healthy as we can and as safe as we can on all fronts, not just H1N1.?
Colleges prepare, too
Colleges and universities are also taking precautions to reduce the spread of the new flu. At the University of Vermont, where at least one confirmed case of swine flu was documented in the spring, new and returning students this fall will see many new posters about hand washing and covering up when coughing or sneezing. The freebies at orientation will include hand sanitizers.
The prevention campaign will focus on hygiene and coughing and sneezing etiquette, said Dr. Jon Porter, director of the center for Health and Wellbeing at the University of Vermont.
The campus is likely to see H1N1 cases as early as September, he added. Student and faculty absenteeism could be significantly higher than is typical in most years but plan A is to avoid dramatic steps such as closing a dorm or shutting down classes. ?The approach right now is very much, let?s keep things running,? Porter said.
If the virus turns more serious, officials will consider other options. ?If the situation changes in terms of the seriousness of the illness we?re in a different place,? Porter said. ?We?ll start looking at other measures.?
National safety trials of an H1N1 vaccine are underway. If approved by the federal government, shipments of the vaccine could make it to Vermont in the latter part of October. It is likely to be a two-dose vaccine and will be made available first to groups most at risk, Davis said.
The Health Department is considering school based vaccine clinics partly because pediatricians might not be able to schedule the volume of appointments needed to give two doses in a timely way to the approximately 100,000 school-aged children in Vermont.
Colleges are also likely to be at the front of the line for the vaccine. UVM already does vaccine clinics for seasonal flu and will likely offer H1N1 vaccine clinics if supplies come available, Porter said.
Contact Molly Walsh at 660-1874 or mwalsh@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
Additional Facts
HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST THE FLU
? Get a seasonal flu vaccine.
? Wash your hands often and well.
? Use alcohol-based hand wipes and gel sanitizers if soap and water are not available.
? Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
? Cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away.
? Stay home from work or school, and away from others if you are sick.
? If you are ill or have health concerns, call your health care provider.
H1N1 in Vermont
Confirmed cases of swine flu in Vermont. Counties with ?0? lab-confirmed cases most likely have H1N1 novel influenza circulating. Vermont Department of Health is focusing on testing severe cases.
Addison: 5
Bennington: 6
Caledonia: 0
Chittenden: 25
Essex: 0
Franklin: 3
Grand Isle: 1
Lamoille: 0
Orange: 0
Orleans: 5
Rutland: 9
Washington: 4
Windham: 3
Windsor: 6
Total: 67
Source: Vermont Department of Health
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------